Petition Presented to

The Honorable Charlie Crist, Governor of the State of Florida

by Faculty and Staff of Broward Community College

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

We, the undersigned faculty and staff of Broward Community College, wish to bring to
your attention the serious concerns that we have about the present and future course of our
institution. During the past several years, certain actions undertaken by our current Board of
Trustees have given rise to widespread concerns about the competence and attitudes of some
members of that body. These actions have also significantly eroded faculty and staff morale at
BCC. In the hope that these issues might be effectively addressed and remedied before there is
additional damage to BCC’s institutional effectiveness, we offer our chief concerns for your
consideration:

• The principle of co-governance, acknowledged in the faculty contract, has, on multiple

occasions, been ignored or disregarded by a Board of Trustees that has demonstrated its
intention to micro-manage college affairs. Faculty have been routinely excluded from the
decision-making process in numerous areas of policy that affect them directly, in
contravention of the principle of co-governance.
• The Board of Trustees intervened in the faculty contract negotiation process in 2006,
demanding changes after United Faculty of Florida/BCC representatives and
administration representatives had agreed to contract terms. This resulted in a needless
and lengthy confrontation between the board and faculty, resolved only when the board,
without explanation, agreed to the original contract terms late in the year.
• The Board of Trustees prematurely and arbitrarily declared impasse in the 2007
bargaining cycle, preventing the faculty negotiating team from presenting its
compensation proposal and other important items. The board’s stated explanation was
that they had, in essence, no further interest in negotiations. UFF/BCC’s position is that
negotiations should be continued sincerely and amicably until an agreement is reached.
• Some trustees have regularly and openly voiced their contempt and disdain for BCC
administrators, faculty and staff. Former President Larry Calderon resigned in November
2006 after enduring regular and inexcusable verbal abuse from certain board members.
• On at least one occasion, a trustee, in a clearly unethical act, interfered in a faculty
search, recommending an acquaintance for the position.

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 These, and other actions on the part of Board, have done much to poison the
atmosphere at BCC and have seriously impacted morale throughout the institution. They
have also led us inextricably toward the conclusion that some members of the board,
given their often arbitrary and capricious actions, have inappropriate conceptions of their
roles as trustees of a public institution. Accordingly, we ask that you consider the
following remedies:

• Those individuals named to serve as community college trustees should be

required to have educational and experiential credentials commensurate with the
duties with which they have been entrusted, just as do administrators, faculty and
staff. Political affiliation and/or connections alone are not adequate credentials for
the task of overseeing an institution of higher education. The governor’s office,
through which trustees are appointed, should take the initiative in setting more
stringent criteria for the appointment of community college trustees, so as to
assure that the best interests of the institution and the community are served. It
would also be useful to establish a program whereby prospective trustees can be
educated as to the responsibilities and obligations that the post entails.
• Trustees should demonstrate a genuine commitment to the mission of the college
and to the purposes and ideals of higher education, including the fundamental
principle of academic freedom.
• Trustees should be required to demonstrate a temperament suitable to the post to
which they are appointed. Civil discourse and genuine respect for administrators,
faculty, staff and students are crucial to maintaining collegiality throughout the
institution. These minimal standards for respectful human interaction have been
egregiously ignored by some current trustees.
• Trustees should, in the performance of their duties, demonstrate their sincere
commitment to the democratic principles that frame the conduct of our public
affairs. We are citizens of a representative republic, and will not quietly endure
being treated as subjects of a feudal aristocracy. Trustees need to acknowledge
that they are neither more nor less than public servants, and that their actions
should conform to that role. It should be made clear to every prospective and
sitting trustee that private agendas, personal vendettas and cavalier attitudes
toward the college and its employees are unacceptable, and should not be allowed
to shape institutional policy.
• Placing a public institution in the hands of trustees who fail to meet these minimal
standards and who have no demonstrable commitment to the good of that
institution is an affront to those of us who faithfully serve the college and to all
Florida taxpayers. The governor’s office should take immediate steps to
implement a clearly-delineated process for the reprimand and/or removal of
unsuitable and/or incompetent trustees. It is unacceptable that an important public
education institution, together with its employees, should be subject to the
maladministration of a few individuals. It is crucial that a legitimate process of
redress for such circumstances be established.

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 Broward Community College has reached a critical juncture in its history. We have
had three different presidents in the last three years. Adding to our institutional instability,
many top college and campus administrative positions are either vacant, held by interim
appointees, or staffed by newly hired administrators who have little or no familiarity with
our institutional history. In the absence of reliably competent governance on the part of
current Board of Trustees, our college faces an unprecedented crisis of leadership. Given
the seriousness of this situation, and given the importance of assuring that Broward
Community College continues to provide the people of south Florida with educational
opportunities of the highest quality, we, the undersigned, respectfully request that
Governor Charlie Crist agree to meet with us for a discussion of these issues. Further
delay or inaction will assuredly only worsen an already grave situation.